Projectile.



J. A-,STEINMETZ.

PPPPPPPPP E.

APPLICATION man as s.

a'rnnr onnrcn. v

PROJEGTILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 24., 1917.

Application filed December 4, 1916. Serial No. 134,936.

To all'wkom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. STEINMETZ,

' a citizen of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia;

in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements sired balance or to receive,

- the in Projectiles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

The general object of this invention is to providean improved armor piercing. projectile and more specifically to provide the body of 'the'projectil'e with a thin softer jacket to engage longitudinal ribs on the body and with a relatively soft nose member arranged to aid, upon impact, in throwing off said'jacket and servingas a sort of lubricant for the body and also as a guiding means to hold the body against glancing when it strikes armor obliquely.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 shows the body of-the projectile in side view.

- Fig. 2 is an axial section of the same body when provided with the softer jacket and nose.

Fig. 3 shows the structure in like section as it is supposed that it would appear an in- Y stant after impact. with an armor plate. 30.

Figs. 4, 5 are like sections showing the structure at successive later instants.

Fig. 6 is a section like Fig. 2 showing the rear end of the body as bored out to give deif desired,'an explosive charge, not shown.

It is desirable to have the body of such'a projectile as large as may be and to have it make up as large a percentage as possible of entire weight of the structure, and it is further desirable that the largest possible percentage of the strikingforce should be expended in piercing the armor. plate,

A represents a projectile as is'most desirable and having at least its forward portion extremely hard and tenacious while its cylin-' drical portion is roughened or provided with surface ribs B. Incasing this body is a light cylindrical jacket C of softer metal which non-revolubly and slidingly engages the rough surface of the body to prevent relative rotation, the rifling of the gun and insures the proper rotation of the projectile as it leaves the bore. This jacket falls short of the trans- Verse plane in which the point of the body and which also engages lies, and the annular space between the tapering forward part of the'body and the jacket is filled by the rear portion of a nose member D which projects to some distance in advance, of both the jacket and the point of the body and which is securely held by cr mpmg the jacket intoengagement therew th as indicated in the drawings.

If this complete projectile be fired against an armor plate, H, the forward portion of the relatively soft nose spreads out upon the plate and engages the same almost as if welded thereto and this mass E holds the point of the body in proper alinement even.

f the impact is at a considerable angle. An instant later, that bodys point pressing through, the softer metal begins penetration and absolutely and also spread outward by the wedgin action of the relatively advancing body. T sively and its forward end is then crumpled, and finally stripped from the body. The jacket is thus forced off without material consumption of energy, nor does the small mass of the nose subtract moreenergy first ruptured,

than is needed to enable it to hold and guide the body of the projectile; The jacket'and nose constitute but a small percentage of the Weight and bulk of the complete projectile, and the effective body, therefore, is of maximum size and weight, has great penetrating power, and is less likely to be shattered or deformed than a smaller body used in a proje'ctile of the same weight.

It is to be noted that by making the point of-the projectile extend forward beyond-the end of the jacket and well into the nose he jacket is thus spread progresmember the soft material is reduced in mass and a relatively large part of this mass lies in front of the-body and near its axis, where it spreads out very easily and guides the body into the armor before the jacket is materially displaced. The softer nose may be grooved to receive the forward end of the jacket or the latter may be forced into the ungrooved metal.

The rear portion of the body A may be bored out as at G, Fig. 5, to receive proper balance or to receive an explosive charge.

What I'claim is: 1. A projectile having a cylindrical pointed body of any hard tenacious metal, a conical nose member of relatively soft body metal fitting over the pointed end. of the body and practically dric al part of the latter, and athin jacket of softer nietal covering the exposed portion of said body and the rear portion of said nose member.

2. The com ination with a cylindrical pointed projectile body of metal suitable for piercin armor; of metal tting over and terminating substantially at the forward end of the cylindrical portion, and

a thin jacket-of metal softer than the body fitting over the latter and the rear portion only of the nose member and crimped into.

engagement with the latter.

3. The combination with a cylindrical pointed projectile body of metal suitable for piercing armor provided with longitudinal Copies of this patent may be extending the cylinv the same a nose member'o'f isofterthe conical part ofthe'.

ribs, of a softer over the con cal and. havin ointed nosegniember fitting iameter as said bodytmnd a thin relatively soft jacket in its forward mar 'n bent inward to engage said nose member.

orward portion of the body its rear portion of substantially sliding engagement with said ribs and having 4. The combination with a cylindrical pointed projectile body having -longitudinal ribs, of a softer conical nose iece fitting over the point portion-.of said ody,'and"a thin jacket in sliding non-revoluble engagement with'the ribbed body,'extendingforward over the nose piece and engaged with the same along a :line in the rear of. the bodys point. i

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature. v JOSEPH A. STE INMETZ.

obtained for five cents each, byaddr'oisln: the commissioner of intents,

Washington, D. 0." 

